Love May Consume You in the End
by Auphanim
Summary: A short little fluff tale between Baiken and Anji on a rainy, but not quite miserable, fall day.


Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of Guilty Gear, Guilty Gear X, Guilty Gear XX, or Guilty Gear Isuka.

Warnings: Fluff between Anji and Baiken, angst

Author Notes (semi-important):

"Blah" – Speech

Author Notes (completely irrelevant and unimportant): For once, I don't think there are any. O.o;;

Love May Consume You in the End

A cool autumn breeze flowed across the world, making wind chimes tinkle and leaves rustle and tussle in piles on the ground. The air was sharp and crisp, an indication that a cold winter was on its way in from the north. Breath came out in puffs of white and all sounds seemed to echo throughout the still air. The sun in the sky shone brightly, but not enough to make itself a nuisance. In short, it was a beautiful fall day.

The serenity and peace, however, was lost to one woman in particular. To be more specific, a woman with red-bordering-on-pink hair and one usable eye. Tattoos littered her face, and a mechanical arm hung at her right side. The white, red, and black kimono that she wore was open in the front, revealing almost all of her breasts and making one wonder if she could fit underwear underneath it. No one even bothered pondering if she wore a bra, for it was quite obvious that she didn't.

This strange Japanese woman, Baiken, was sitting outside, completely oblivious to the beauty and quiet tranquility of the autumn air. She, unlike everyone else, had no care for the leaves falling from the trees or the wind wisping through the grass and playing gently with her hair. The only thing that she really concentrated on was her bottle of sake and the smoking pipe she held clenched between her teeth.

Nothing seemed to be able to break her out of the trance Baiken appeared to be in. She didn't even glance up with her peach eye when clouds started to swell in and block out the sun glinting in the sky that was quickly turning to a grey color. Only when it started to rain did she move, and that only to put the cap on her sake bottle to keep the rain from watering the alcohol down.

To most that passed her, she appeared to be nothing more than a poor drunkard, too wasted to gather enough sense and beg for money. A few do-gooders threw some coins at her feet, but most just kept away from the woman, acting as if she were a leper or carried some other type of unwanted disease.

While it was true Baiken was a bit of a drunkard, she wasn't out there because she had to be. Nor was she out there to try and beg, although she wouldn't say 'no' to the coins scattered haphazardly around her feet. There was a specific reason that she sat out in the rain, getting drenched and starting to shiver slightly from the cold. A certain person was on his way to meet her at this bench, and she wasn't going to move until he got there.

She sat in the same position for hours; her hands going up only once to pull her kimono closed and cover her torso from the cold and now pouring rain. The person she was waiting for was late. A hint of sadness leaked into her eye as the thought that he might not be coming crept into her mind. Shaking her head and sending drops of sparkling water everywhere, she dismissed the thought. He wouldn't leave her like that.

Finally, a man walked up to her bench. His brown hair that was usually spiky now hung limp against his white headband. The small glasses that adorned his face were fogged up and had a few sprinkles of rainwater on them. This man had somehow found a way to wear less than Baiken, his entire muscular chest exposed. Blue and white cloth tied on with black string covered his arms from just above his shoulder and down; a matching pair of pants with a black belt covering his lower body.

"You shouldn't have waited out in the rain for me," Anji said, looking at the woman sitting Indian-style on the bench.

"I'd almost thought you weren't coming," she replied in her gruff voice, her one left eye looking away from him.

"I would never do that to you Baiken," he gave her a small smile as he said that, moving his hand down to brush some of her wet locks out of the way of her eye.

"I know."

Anji tentatively laid his open palm against Baiken's left cheek. Expecting to get a harsh glare or a smack from the broadside of her sword, the Japanese man was surprised when the woman leaned against his touch, just as gingerly as he had put it there. Smiling, he rubbed her face gently, watching as she nuzzled his hand back.

After a few moments, Baiken looked up to the sky that was still drizzling rain down on the two. Anji's eyes followed her gaze, staring up at the grey clouds and the glittering rain falling down. It all seemed so surreal, standing next to the woman he'd fallen in love with, surrounded by a peaceful grey and soft rain that was no longer cold to either of them.

The only thing that ruined it all was the fact that this could never happen again. Anji and Baiken were both too different, too opposing to last long together. They would eventually split, breaking each other's hearts in the process and losing even the friendship the two had made over the years. Both of them understood this, but neither of them wanted to openly admit it. The thought and truth behind it hurt too much.

To avoid the hurt that a relationship of that intimate level would cause, Baiken at last pulled back from Anji's hand, feeling something pull at her heart as she saw the look of hurt flicker across his face before he masked it. She felt the same pain that his face had shown, accepting the fact that they couldn't be together.

Her eye widened as she felt an unexpected stinging sensation behind her eye. Soon, her vision was growing clouded and watery with the tears begging to spill. Blinking rapidly, she tried to force it away. She succeeded for the most part, but one tear slipped out, trailing down her face and mixing with the rain water already on her cheek.

"We should get moving now," Anji whispered, extending his left hand out to help Baiken up. She took it without a second thought, grabbing her sword in her right robotic arm and standing. Both of them paused, only inches away, their hands touching. Anji fought the urge to close the distance between them, longing to be with Baiken and disregard the fact that it would destroy them both in the end.

It was Baiken who broke the contact, bending down to pick up the coins on the ground and taking her sake bottle up in her left hand. She avoided looking at the man next to her, opting to start down the road that would hopefully take her to the man. Anji followed suite and soon they were walking side-by-side.

The two walked like that for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company but making sure to mask all feelings from the other. After what seemed like only seconds to the love-infested pair, they came to a fork in the road. Something simple, yet so symbolist. Here, they would take two different paths, marking the separation of their bodies and souls. There was no doubt that they would always be a little in love with each other, but to split here seemed to be a final goodbye, an acceptance of the truth both had denied for such a long time.

Finally, Baiken turned towards the way she would go, looking down the trail. Although she usually enjoyed such trails like the one she would travel on, this one seemed a desolate and decayed path, devoid of life because it didn't have Anji roaming on it.

Anji looked to his own, feeling the same way as Baiken. He was tempted to go with her on her journey, but resisted, knowing that this was the only way things could be. Still, something gripped his heart as he heard Baiken walking away on her own. The grip tightened as her footsteps got quieter and quieter, and Anji could have sworn that he felt claws sinking into the soft tissue just behind his ribs.

Suppressing a quiet sob, the love-struck man began his own quest on his own path. Every step seemed to tear more and more of his heart, but he kept on going, knowing that to turn back would end up hurting him and Baiken more than anything else in the world.

And so, the two walked on separate paths, steadily moving away from each other and heading towards separate goals, separate journeys, and separate lives.


End file.
